First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess

Xavier’s phone buzzed under the desk. He didn’t even glance at the professor mid-lecture; he already knew who it was. Angel. The message was short, sharp, exactly what he’d been waiting for.

He stood up without a word. The room stiffened—eyes flicked to him, then away just as fast. Nobody dared stop him, not even the professor. The click of his boots echoed down the hall like a countdown.

By the time he reached the dean’s wing, the corridors had thinned out. He didn’t knock. He just pushed the heavy oak door open, stepping into Aldric Blackwood’s office.

The old man looked up from a sea of parchment-thin holoscreens, brows lifting as if he hadn’t expected this visitor. His features—weathered but sharp, like steel that refused to dull—tightened when he recognized him.

”Xavier,” Aldric said slowly, voice low and measured, the kind of tone that carried weight in every room it touched. ”You. Here. In the middle of lecture hours.”

Xavier closed the door behind him and leaned against it, arms folded, calm but predatory, like he owned the place. ”Yeah. Thought we should talk.”

Aldrich was already having flashbacks of what happened the last time Xavier was in his office.

Aldric’s fingers stilled over the holopad, his knuckles whitening just enough to betray the storm under the surface. His office was usually a place where he controlled the tone—every student, every professor, even the board bowed under his voice. But Xavier wasn’t like the others.

Xavier strolled forward, hands shoved in his pockets, eyes glinting with a smug calm. ”So... where’s Lucas? His suspension’s over, right? Should’ve been sitting in that stiff lecture hall today, glaring at me like always.” He tilted his head, mock curiosity dripping from every syllable. ”Funny, I didn’t see him.”

Aldric’s jaw tightened. ”Lucas has his reasons.”

”Mm. Reasons.” Xavier’s grin sharpened. ”Well, Ethan’s absence makes sense. Kid’s still licking his wounds, not to mention watching his whole empire burn down with dear ol’ daddy. Tragic, really. Alexander Sterling, rotting in the dirt after... what was it? Oh yeah—shooting himself in prison.” He gave a fake shiver. ”Awful way to go.”

The air between them thickened, Aldric’s eyes narrowing like blades.

”Oh! And Maximilian, too.” Xavier went on, unbothered, circling the desk now. ”Guess he’s got excuses too. Can’t blame him. Hard to focus on schoolwork when your father—Dominic Hart, the great cop—catches a bullet in the line of duty. Noble. Respectable. Useless.”

His words hung like smoke, venom masked in casual banter.

”You come into my office,” Aldric said finally, voice low but sharp enough to cut, ”and mock the dead in front of me. Do you think that makes you strong? Or just reckless?”

Xavier smirked, leaning across the desk just enough to meet Aldric’s stare head-on. ”Neither. I am just worried about my friends.”

Xavier leaned back in the chair, one leg crossed over the other, grin sharp as ever. ”So, I’ll ask again, Aldric. When’s Lucas coming back to the academy?”

Aldric’s eyes narrowed. ”He won’t. I’m not a fool. I won’t throw my grandson into the same den as you. Xavier... you may have killed Alexander Sterling and destroyed the lives of Ethan and Maximilian, but the same will not happen with Lucas. I will not allow it.”

Xavier tilted his head, pretending to look hurt, then gave a mocking laugh. ”Whoa, whoa. Don’t pin that shit on me. I haven’t done anything. I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. But... I guess, I just got lucky. People who wanted me dead... well, they’re the ones six feet under. It’s not my fault luck’s got a crush on me.”

Xavier let out a loud scoff. ”But hey, I guess you can’t buy luck with money, huh?”

Aldric’s teeth clenched. ”Keep acting arrogant. It won’t last long. The higher you climb, the harder the fall. And when it comes, you’ll remember my words.”

”Yeah?” Xavier leaned forward, voice dropping to a taunt. ”Speaking of words... you seen the latest viral video?”

Aldric frowned. ”What video—”

The office doors burst open. Darius Vexley, Aldric’s chief secretary, strode in, urgency plastered across his face. He opened his mouth—then froze when he saw Xavier lounging there, smirking like a devil in church.

”No need to worry about me,” Xavier said with a chuckle, gesturing lazily toward Aldric. ”I’m here to tell him the same thing you are.”

Aldric’s voice hardened. ”What’s going on, Darius?”

Without a word, Darius raised his holo device. The screen flickered alive—showing a shaky, too-clear video feed. The image sharpened just enough for the room to freeze:

Maximilian Hart. Standing there. Pulling a gun. And shooting Leonardo Kane in the head.

The footage looped once more, and the sound of the gunshot echoed through the office walls.

Aldric shot up from his chair, slamming his fists against the desk so hard the holo-screen flickered. ”What the hell is this?!” His voice boomed across the room. ”That’s Dominic’s house! Why is Leonardo even there—and why would he—” He broke off, staring at the looping footage of Leonardo Kane collapsing, blood spreading across the floor.

Darius looked pale, sweating. ”Sir... the media’s already on it. It’s everywhere. They’re saying Maximilian murdered Leonardo in cold blood.”

Xavier stayed seated, chin resting on his hand, watching the chaos unravel with a slow, wicked smile. ”Playing games, huh? Cute. Guess Maxy-boy couldn’t tell the difference between a shooting game and the real thing. Oops.”

Aldric rounded on him. ”Shut your mouth! You think this is funny?! And why is this clip suddenly posted online at such—”

He stopped and and looked at Xavier, seemingly realizing who was pulling strings.

Xavier just shrugged. ”Not funny. Hilarious. First Ethan, now Maximilian. One by one, your little golden boys keep tripping on their own feet. Honestly, I barely have to lift a finger anymore. They’re doing the work for me.”

The holo-screen updated in real time, flashing live news coverage. Anchors with stiff voices repeated the same line on loop:

[Breaking: shocking footage leaked of Maximilian Hart fatally shooting Leonardo Kane inside Dominic Hart’s residence. Investigations underway—questions raised about intent.]

[The incident is said to be a few weeks old.]

Beside the headlines, social media comments scrolled so fast they blurred:

Maximilian’s lost it. Another psycho rich kid.

First Ethan, now this? The academy’s elites are falling apart.

Leonardo was no saint either, but damn...

Xavier warned everyone. Said these clowns would break. He was right.

Max deserves prison. Death penalty. No excuses this time.